Saving a Legend(36)

Her lips brushed his lightly, as if still unsure of what she wanted to do. Her uncertainty lasted only a moment before she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and kissed him with unmatched fervor. Kieran was caught off guard by the entire interaction at first, but he quickly wrapped his arms around her back to pull her closer.

He couldn’t not kiss her. He couldn’t pull away.

The sweet sugary taste of her lips, the perfect way her body molded into his. He had wanted this since the first moment he saw her, and yet this was more than he’d ever been able to imagine. She was more, and for this moment, she was his.

He didn’t want it to end, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind wasn’t quieting down. It was telling him, not like this. With every nip of her lips and slide of her fingers through his hair, he knew it wasn’t enough. He knew he was quickly approaching the point where he wouldn’t be able to think of anything but burying himself inside her. And he wanted more than that.



The realization hit him hard.

“Fi”—he groaned when her lips left his for a moment—“we need to slow down.”

He took her hands in his, holding them as he created space between their torsos. Fiona’s breasts heaved as she tried to calm her breathing, and it took all his strength not to watch them.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” Her cheeks flushed to a deep pink as she pulled one of her hands out of his. “You were just trying to help me, and I took advantage of that by throwing myself at you. I’m sure after seeing all my crazy today, you want no part of this.”

Kieran exhaled slowly, letting go of her other hand but not letting her leave his lap yet. He hadn’t meant to push her away; they were going so fast, and he didn’t want her to wake up tomorrow regretting this. Even more than that, he didn’t want this to be a one-night stand. He didn’t want to have sex just because she was feeling upset.

Silently, he cursed himself for sounding so conflicted. At the moment, he was struggling to keep his thoughts above his waist. He couldn’t believe he was turning this gorgeous woman down, and the realization of why frightened him. What he really wanted was her, not her body—although he definitely wanted that, too. A lot…and often.

“Fiona, that’s not it at all,” he assured her. “I want every part of this, and you. I just want you to want me, too. With everything that happened today, how emotional we both are tonight, I can’t let you make a decision you might regret.”

“I’m an adult, Kieran. I can make my own decisions. It was just a kiss.” She refused to make eye contact, but he saw the tears welling again. She stood up from the couch and tried to hide her face from him. “I’m going to go to bed. It’s been a long day. Thanks for the soup, and for helping out with Shea.”



“Fi,” he said as he stood and grabbed her arm. “It wasn’t just a kiss.”

He searched her eyes for some flicker of emotion, something to tell him she understood. Something to tell him she felt it, too. But the tears spilling over her lashes made his heart ache. He lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed the backs of her fingers, never breaking eye contact.

There was nothing overtly sensual about what he was doing. He used his lips against her knuckles, down the back of her hand, and to her wrist to plant small kisses that were as sweet as they were meaningful. Through his movements, he cherished and adored her in a way he was sure she needed—a way that told her she was needed.

Fiona bit the edge of her bottom lip and gulped, her eyes fluttering back and forth between his eyes and his mouth. She felt it, too. Blinking away her tears, she cleared her throat and pulled her hand from his. He let her, because although she was masking her expression once more, he knew he’d made his point.

“Fi,” he started, but when she looked up at him, he paused, concerned that she was about to lie to him, to tell him she didn’t want him.

Fiona wrapped her arms around her waist, as if to hug herself, and kept her gaze down. “Kieran, you were right. It’s been a long and emotional day. For a minute, I let myself forget what my life is like, but you’re right. I can’t do this. I can’t date, and tonight is just another reminder why.”



Kieran shook his head. “No, that’s not what—” But she put her hand up to stop him.

“Good night, Kieran.” Fiona rose up on the tips of her toes and gave him a small kiss on his cheek before she headed toward the bedroom, leaving him standing alone in her living room.

Looking around, Kieran took in the surrounding mess. Not sure what to do with himself, he decided to tidy up so Fiona would have less to do in the morning. As he moved around the room, he replayed their conversation in his head, and it continued to make less and less sense.